SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Busing Among Possible School Cuts Set for Review

The Capistrano Unified School District board today will review a list of possible deep cuts in its 1995-96 budget.

Potential areas for cuts include busing, sports, other extracurricular activities, and funding for several teacher aides. Trustees also will consider a possible wage freeze or 1% salary reduction for district employees.

District officials project that between $4.4 million and $6.4 million will have to be cut from the budget because of the county’s collapsed investment pool. The district had $74 million in the pool and could lose up to $7.4 million because of the debacle, depending on the outcome of a final bankruptcy plan.

Supt. James A. Fleming said the list of potential school district cuts is meant to be a starting point for discussions over the next few months before the board approves a budget in June.

“We’re talking about mega-dollar reductions,” Fleming said. “These are not the kinds of things that we can only take care of by making a few trims here and there.”

For example, cutting busing for all students except those in special education programs would save the district $2.3 million, according to a district report.

Eliminating several aides for a supplemental reading program would save $196,000, and a 20% cut in sports and music programs would save the district $150,000, the report said.

A wage freeze would save $2.3 million, while a 1% reduction in salaries would save $1 million, the report noted.

Fleming said seven advisory committees have been formed to review the potential cuts and report back to the board. The committees, which include teachers, union leaders, administrators, other employees, parents and school principals, are supposed to offer suggestions by April 10.

The board could consider a tentative budget as early as May.

“Something of this magnitude has got to take time,” Fleming said.